A LETTER TO ALL EMPLOYEES FROM POSTMASTER GENERAL JACK POTTER

When I became Postmaster General in 2001, I told you about the challenges we were facing, the direction we were taking and the changes our future would require. I also told you about my confidence in your ability to move the Postal Service forward. As I look back, almost 10 years later, your achievements have exceeded every expectation. So it is with mixed emotions that I share with you my plans to retire.

The progress we made together, despite enormous obstacles, has been simply amazing. Service, customer satisfaction, efficiency, cost management and our reputation for trust have never been stronger. We’ve come through some trying times and I’ve always known — whatever the situation — that we’d stand together, work through it and emerge more focused than ever. And we have.

The work has been demanding, but it has been fulfilling. In taking stock, and with the perspective of a decade to guide me, I have reached a point in my life where it is time to move on to other things. Pat Donahoe, Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer, will become our new Postmaster General when I “end tour” Dec. 3.

I’ve worked with Pat for many years. His commitment to service excellence and his confidence in you are unparalleled. There’s no one better qualified to lead our organization during a time that will require new levels of flexibility, innovation, performance and change. The governors of the Postal Service have chosen well in selecting him.

While our leadership may change, our needs will not. The Postal Service has to continue adapting to changing customer demand. It has to respond to the pressures of a diminished economy and a revolution in communications. It has to generate new revenue by developing new products, new services and new approaches to pricing. And it has to help shape the public-policy debate as we seek necessary legislation to remove the obstacles in the way of our long-term success. These are the basic elements of our plan to keep America’s postal system viable for many years to come. It will be difficult, more difficult than even the last 10 years, but it can be done and I know you can do it.

It has been an honor and a privilege to lead this great organization. When I leave, I’ll leave knowing that I’ve done my best through your tireless efforts and support. I’ve truly enjoyed every one of my 32 years with the Postal Service. The most rewarding part has been the people — the thousands of people I’ve had the chance to meet and work with, inside and outside the Postal Service.

I have always been proud to be a member of the postal family. My pride, based on your commitment to our customers and to our nation, has only grown in the years I’ve served as Postmaster General. That will not change — no matter where the future takes me — and I will remain a strong advocate for the Postal Service.

Thank you for your efforts on behalf of those we serve. The work of the Postal Service is important and it will remain important, even as we evolve in the face of a future that is still revealing itself. You make a difference every day.

It’s been a pleasure to work with you.